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Javin Scott gets a hi-five from Cooper Heisey after rushing for a 15-yard TD.Javin Scott gets a hi-five from Cooper Heisey after rushing for a 15-yard TD. Credits: Matt Kipp

Jakob Robles wraps up a pass from Cooper Heisey. Robles caught his 1st career high school touchdown Saturday. Jakob Robles wraps up a pass from Cooper Heisey. Robles caught his 1st career high school touchdown ...Credits: Matt Kipp

Isaiah Stewart uses all of his wingspan to deflect a N. Hunterdon pass.Isaiah Stewart uses all of his wingspan to deflect a N. Hunterdon pass. Credits: Matt Kipp

Dwight Laylor leaps to make a grab on a Cooper Heisey pass.Dwight Laylor leaps to make a grab on a Cooper Heisey pass. Credits: Matt Kipp

Cooper Heisey was a dual-threat QB, running for a team-high 69 yards and throwing for 151.Cooper Heisey was a dual-threat QB, running for a team-high 69 yards and throwing for 151. Credits: Matt Kipp

Javin Scott runs down the field while Dwight Laylor makes a block, allowing Scott some running room.Javin Scott runs down the field while Dwight Laylor makes a block, allowing Scott some running room. Credits: Matt Kipp

Isaiah Stewart fights for yardage while being brought down by a N. Hunterdon defender.Isaiah Stewart fights for yardage while being brought down by a N. Hunterdon defender. Credits: Matt Kipp

SCOTCH PLAINS/FANWOOD — For most of the season, Scotch Plains-Fanwood’s passing attack has just fallen short of winning games. Saturday against North Hunterdon, it was the Raiders’ running game that excelled, but it could not match the Lions’ high-powered offense. Despite accumulating a season-high 163 rushing yards, the Raiders fell to 0-6 with a 49-27 loss to undefeated North Hunterdon.

North Hunterdon jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and struck for two more touchdowns in the second to take a 28-6 lead into halftime. The Lions’ offensive dominance over the Raiders’ defense continued in a 21-point second half, but the Raiders matched that 21-point mark in the final 24 minutes.

“They’re 5-0, but we accepted the challenge,” Scotch Plains-Fanwood head coach Mark Ciccotelli told TAPinto.net. “What, do we want to play someone that’s 1-4? We wanted to play North Hunterdon. It’s a chance for us to gain some respect and get our reputation back in order.”

Javin Scott had a breakout performance, rushing for two touchdowns and 67 yards on 11 carries. Quarterback Cooper Heisey, who has had record-setting passing performances this season, became a dual-threat, as he collected 68 yards on the ground and averaged 6.8 yards-per-carry in addition to throwing for 151 yards. By out-rushing North Hunterdon, 163-148, it marked the first time the Raiders have topped an opponent in that category.

“It really did feel good [running],” Scott said. “They [North Hunterdon] were 5-0 — now 6-0 — and to be able to run the ball on them like that… it’s a statement.”

Scott’s first TD run was for 15 yards and came on the Raiders’ first drive of the second quarter. The senior later jumped over North Hunterdon’s goal line stand early in the third quarter for a two-yard TD pickup. The Raiders also found the end zone via the air, with Heisey connecting to Dwight Laylor and Jakob Robles on scoring passes in the second half. Robles’ TD was the first of his high school career.

While Scotch Plains-Fanwood continued to put up exceptional offensive numbers, the team struggled to contain the explosive playmakers that North Hunterdon possessed. The Lions’ Luke Wain ran wild, rushing for 137 yards and two touchdowns. On special teams, Griffin Honthy and Connor McMahon each returned a kickoff for a touchdown. Quarterbacks Matt Busher and Anthony Hale each threw a touchdown pass, as well.

“I think we played with an edge; I just think it was a game that got away from us,” Ciccotelli said. “Some kickoff returns, and next thing you know, you’re out of the game plan and down by a bunch of scores. We were running the ball, doing what we wanted to do coming in, game plan-wise. Sometimes, it just happens: The game gets away from you a little bit and you find yourself out of your game plan.”

Football is a game of emotion, and that was displayed many times throughout Saturday’s game. In multiple instances, tempers ran hot and personal foul calls — mostly against North Hunterdon — became frequent.

“They [North Hunterdon] were throwing some comments out at the end when I was getting hi-fives,” said Robles. “A few penalties this game to what I thought were clean shots, but apparently they weren’t and they called me a ‘targeter’."

“They were talking a lot of trash during the game,” the senior added, “but we just let it roll off our shoulders and kept our heads held high.”

As each game this season has marked progress of some sorts for Scotch Plains-Fanwood, a team under construction as a program, the Raiders feel as though Saturday’s game was yet another step in the developmental process: “Guys here are slowly but surely starting to grow up — physically and mentally. They’re starting to understand what we expect from them, and it’s starting to show on the field,” stated Ciccotelli.

Despite the positive improvements made so far this fall, the Raiders’ record fell to 0-6 Saturday. The team will look to put all the pieces together and slide into the win column on Friday, when they travel to take on county foe Rahway to 7 p.m.

“Unfortunately, we fell up short today,” Robles said. “We’re just trying to get it together and just try to do what we got to do to get a W.”

"The idea is to get kids off of their video games and participate in some lightly-competitive programs with their friends and the Police Officers who serve their community," says Scotch Plains Police Chief Ted Conley, who announced the ...

SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ -- Whether you are making a list of target companies or preparing for interviews, you must do your homework. Go beyond Google to set yourself up for success.

On Monday, Feb. 11, at 6:30 p.m., join the Career Networking Group at the Scotch Plains Public Library to find out how to use library resources and mine industry and business databases to maximize your job search ...

SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ -- Whether you are making a list of target companies or preparing for interviews, ...

FANWOOD, NJ -- The 2018-19 flu season runs through March and this year’s strain is expected to be particularly virulent. The Fanwood Board of Health, in association with the Westfield Regional Board of Health, would like to remind area residents that there is still time to get their annual influenza vaccination.

The shots are widely available and often covered by insurance.

FANWOOD, NJ -- The 2018-19 flu season runs through March and this year’s strain is expected to be ...

TOMS RIVER, N.J. -- The Union Catholic boys put together several impressive performances and won three events when the Vikings placed a very strong second at Thursday's Non-Public A Relay Championships at the Bennett Center.

UC, which scored in eight of the nine events, won the shuttle hurdles in 31.13, captured the 4x400 in dramatic fashion in 3:27.04, and finished first in the team pole ...

TOMS RIVER, N.J. -- The Union Catholic boys put together several impressive performances and won ...

NEW JERSEY, NJ -- With almost 25 percent of all American adults having no retirement savings or pension, the personal-finance website WalletHub released its report on “Best States to Retire” list for 2019. To the surprise of few people, New Jersey ranked among the most worst, landing at No. 46 among the 50 states of the U.S.

WalletHub compared every state across 46 key metrics. The data set ...

NEW JERSEY, NJ -- With almost 25 percent of all American adults having no retirement savings or ...

TOMS RIVER, NJ -- The Union Catholic girls left no doubt that they are still the top program in the state after putting together the most dominant performance in meet history at Thursday's Non-Public A Relay Championships at the Bennett Center.

For the second straight year, the UC girls won all six races races on the track on the way to its fifth straight title as the Vikings racked up a ...

TOMS RIVER, NJ -- The Union Catholic girls left no doubt that they are still the top program in the ...

SCOTCH PLAINS/FANWOOD, NJ -- The Scotch Plains Fanwood Martin Luther King Day of Service will be held Monday, Jan. 21, 2019, with the opening program and volunteer fair beginning at 9:30 a.m. at the Fanwood-Scotch Plains YMCA (1340 Martine Ave., Scotch Plains).

The community is invited to attend the event, which celebrates the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Now in its 10th year, the day ...

SCOTCH PLAINS/FANWOOD, NJ -- The Scotch Plains Fanwood Martin Luther King Day of Service will be ...